normal light; it’s an ultraviolet one. It also doesn’t work very well. Before I can direct the beam anywhere, the bulb flickers and dies.
Damn it.
I’m pretty sure we covered light manipulation in my Theory of Magic class, but knowing how it works and being able to do it are two different things. It’s not one of the tools in my arsenal, and I can’t see how my sonic boom or my spider climb is going to help me here.
Now would be a really great time for that strange burble of magic I felt last semester to manifest as some awesome new power that would help me out of this, but even though I close my eyes for a moment and will something to spark, nothing does.
I sigh, opening my eyes again. It was a pretty dumb idea anyway.
Looks like this is all I’ve got to work with right now.
Gripping the heavy flashlight in one hand, I smack it against my other palm, trying to jar it back to life. I’m sure there are magical ways to get out of these rooms, but I just can’t see how to do it with my magic. I feel useless. Normal.
After several attempts, I get the flashlight to turn on again. Quickly, I shine the beam on the blank black wall and see that it’s covered in various words and symbols. Okay, now, these I do know—the symbols are hieroglyphs from the Mayans and the Egyptians, and the words are in Latin. I know that thanks to my History of Magic class, where we’ve been learning about ancient spells and languages.
Well, at least I’m not entirely useless.
I use one of the pieces of paper from the desk and a spare pen to write everything down, stopping every few seconds to shake the flashlight back to life. It’s tedious going, and my palm is red from where I’ve repeatedly bashed the flashlight against it by the time I’m finished, but I get everything written down. Then I shuffle my notes around, trying to get them into a working order.
It’s literally three different languages I’m looking at here, but they have to combine in some way that makes sense, right?
Sheesh. If this were an actual escape room, I’d buzz the bored front desk worker for a clue right about now.
I glance up at the clock. Not a lot of time left. Fuck me.
Working quickly, I translate all the languages into English, which leaves me with a jumble of random words, but at least they’re all in the same language. I put them in order—and realize it’s a list of descriptions and unfinished phrases.
But descriptions of what?
Land of ice…
We’ll always have…
Don’t cry for me…
There are several more, and my gaze scans over them as I try to sort out what they have in common. My heart jumps in my chest as I read them over for the third time. Oh! They’re places.
I look up at the map.
Land of ice. Iceland. We’ll always have… Paris. A quote from the film Casablanca. Don’t cry for me… Argentina. It’s a song from the musical Evita.
I search the desk and find a bunch of red pins. I start placing them over the places mentioned, or the capital city of the place if it’s referencing a whole country. Paris, Reykjavík, Buenos Aires, Tokyo, Mumbai, Cairo, Washington D.C., Cape Town…
Once the last pin is in place, they all light up, emanating a bright white light.
The map rolls up in on itself—enchanted, I’m guessing—revealing a large, rectangular keypad.
Fuck yes!
My excitement flares but dies out almost as quickly. I’ve found the keypad but not the code, and time is running out fast. Where would the code be?
I look around. There’s nothing else in the room. Just the paintings on the walls, the books, the shit on the desk…
Wait.
I look at the books again. Biography of Claude Monet.
Swiveling my head, I peer at the wall. One of the paintings is Water Lilies by Monet.
My nose wrinkles. Good thing all the paintings have the signature of the artist at the bottom of them or I’d be sunk. Art history isn’t my strong point. I grab the books that reference the artists who have art on the walls. How is this a code though?
I flip through each book, but find nothing—literally. They’re all blank inside. Am I supposed to somehow make the code appear inside them? There are potions that can do that; I’m sure the potion brewing contestant isn’t having a problem. Damn it, why am I